I used to own a copy of this album, pretty much everyone did. I played it a lot at the time but it didn't stick with me, nice to hear it again after about 30 years away. Not a bad start to this project for me
Never heard this album before, never been a fan of the band. I'm giving it a go but not holding out a lot of hope to be honest. Update - listened to the whole album, quite listenable, but not really for me.
Only three days into this project and it's thrown up my all time favourite Traffic album, a band that I love dearly and this album is five stars all the way. After the short lived Blind Faith project Steve Winwood pulled two out of the three other members of traffic back in to reform the band. A classic slice of 70's prog blending jazz, folk and blues seamlessly. The traditional title track has been arranged and recorded by numerous acts, this is one of the finest examples.
A real classic, Jeff's first solo album post Yardbirds, heavily featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, this is a great heavy blues-rock album. I've got the expanded CD reissue to listen to today, lots of bonus tracks.
I've heard of the band before but never listened to them, so streaming today via YouTube. Seems like fairly typical late American punk, attacking the evils of society with angst-packed fervour. I've taken an immediate dislike to the drum machine, but aside from that it's OK. Reading the reviews on here it seems very much a Marmite album, scoring either 1 or 5. I've given it a 3
Until this moment I've never heard of the bloke, apparently an American rapper. I'll listen to a couple of tracks but I'm guessing it's not for me really....... Nope!
Another band that I have heard of, but never actually listened to a single note, which is pretty much the point in this exercise I guess, listening to the album today, it's pretty good indie rock, but I'm not enjoying it much really.
His first solo album after the White Stripes. I've never heard it before today, there's nothing particularly special about it, but some good musicianship hiding in there somewhere
What an absolute banger. Bodhisattva is one of my favourite SD tracks, Show Biz Kids and My Old School are classic Dan. I couldn't give any of their 70s output less than five stars and this gives me an excuse to play some more today.
This is a really interesting listen, good old fashioned American Garage pop. Not well known here in the UK, the album is most notable for I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone, although it's not their composition, it was a hit for the Monkees and later covered by the Sex Pistols.
This is exactly why I started this project, to hear weird and wonderful stuff like this! Funky bongo covers of the Shadows and Iron Butterfly. Great start to a Sunday morning.
I mean it's a classic 80's pop album isn't it, but... you know.... meh! I just watched the video for The Way You Make Me Feel and I'd like to know why that woman is not running away screaming!
Lennon's first solo album, a stripped back three piece band with Ringo and Klaus Voormann. In school I remember we loved Working Class Hero because of the swearing. A very good album, full of self-examination. Lennon's first solo album, a stripped back three piece band with Ringo and Klaus Voormann. In school I remember we loved Working Class Hero because of the swearing. A very good album, full of self-examination.
The third Sparks album, kicks off with their most famous song. Sparks are a band I don't listen to often, even though I've got a few of their albums, maybe I should pay them a bit more attention. I'll do that today at least.
I've never consciously listened to Goldfrapp, so this is interesting. I get the impression that this album might not be typical of their other work? It's pretty mellow. I enjoyed the Happiness video
Completely new to me, the soundtrack to an imaginary film. Barry has excellent heritage with Magazine, Nick Cave, etc, but this is a different beast altogether. Complex and intriguing, I loved it.
Joni's third album is often thought of as one of her finest, it's stripped back, bare sound draw attention to the deeply personal lyrics. I don't have this on CD, so I've ordered one today
I've never really listened to them, except for that one that's always on the flippin' radio. Going in... , listened to most of it, couldn't;t quite stick it out till the end, it started to get on my nerves.
a great live rock 'n' roll performance. My dad was a big rock 'n' roll fan so this would have been more his thing than mine.
Never heard this band before, but I quite like the art rock sound they are creating here. I can hear some 60s psychedelic pop influences, especially in the vocal harmonies. It's quite simplistic, but fairly listenable.
Good result today, I absolutely love this album. I've got the 40th anniversary edition, which includes the 1969 concert plus a DVD with two films. Just the album this morning though... Aside from the title track the big numbers here, of course, are Cecilia and The Boxer, but there's no filler on this album.
This was the first Bowie album I ever bought and it's still my favourite. Strangely I wasn't really a big fan until after his death, but since that time I've been a convert and collected most of his albums. This band, with Mick, Trevor and Woody, were a really special unit, epitomising the glam rock excess of the early 70s. The whole concept of the Ziggy story and image spoke to a broad audience, with a particular call to those who may have thought themselves to be misfits in some way. Ziggy is a true 70s classic, but it's also ageless.
A band I probably should have paid a bit more attention to at some point, I hear a lot of good things about them but I've never really found the time for them. This debut album is proper old school punk rock, energetic and angry.
Latvian avant-garde/industrial/experimental band, never heard of them but it should be right up my street, right? Diving in. Sounds like they influenced Rammstein and Saviour Machine, they seem to be making a political statement, but what is it...?
The second JM album I've had this month, no complaints from me about that. This was probably the first JM album I ever heard, at a school friend's house, late 70s. it's beautiful album with a stellar line-up
My son used to listen to to these a lot when eh was a teenager, always blasting out of his bedroom at ridiculous levels. I'm still traumatised, giving it a go but I don't think I can stick it out...
Update - I gave up after two songs
Interesting experimental pop/rock, another band I've never heard of until today but it's worth a listen. Echoes of Krautrock and 60s psychedelia.
Spearheading the Two Tone movement of the early 80s, lots of great songwriting and a bit more adventurous than some of their contemporaries, I was never a two tone boy at school, no Harrington jacket or Fred Perry shirt for me thanks, but you have to acknowledge they wrote some great hits.
At last! A 'proper' jazz album, a month in and this is the first one that's come up. I dont own this one, so diving in with great expectations. Mostly Brazilian Bossa Nova compositions, one by Byrd, all arranged by Getz.
American singer songwriter, never heard off the bloke before, but so far it's quite a pleasant listen.
Another new one to me, a minimalist approach to their music with echoes of 80s electronica and, I can hear at least, a Brian Eno influence, from his early solo songs. not bad.
February is off to a really good start with this Neil Young classic, the first of his albums I ever owned, bought on cassette in my schooldays, late 70s. No filler here, it's a stunning album from the opener Cinammon Girl through to Cowgirl In The Sand.
Zorn aggressively approaches Ornette Coleman with hyper-fast, two minute thrash/jazz interpretations. It's wild, chaotic, sticking up two fingers to jazz purists, I'm enjoying it 🤣
I remember listening to a bit of Sepultura in the 90s. But these days it's far too heavy for my tastes and I can't get on with the Cookie Monster vocals, but it is a highly competent thrash album with a complex set of sounds and influences. Not sure I'll get all the way through it though... I gave it about five tracks in the end and then I couldn't cope with it any longer
I know it's cheesy but I have fond memories of this album from my schooldays, we loved it when it first came out so I've still got a soft spot for it to be honest.
I've never consciously listened to Sonic Youth, I probably won't again. The guitars are pleasant enough but aside from that this is as interesting as my grandmother's wallpaper.
Pleasant enough pop, nothing particularly interesting about it. There is a cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man so I'm sticking it out to hear that
The only Primal Scream I've come across before is the Screamadelica album and the single 'Rocks'. Jumping into this one now, it has an unexpected complex, multi-layered sound. Ambient with echoes of krautrock.
innocuous enough, but as bland as a Dacio Sandera. Like being slowly beaten to death with a double glazing brochure.
For me this album has always sat in the shadow of its follow-up, BOTW. But Bookends was a hugely successful album with some beautiful songwriting and performance, America and Mrs Robinson are my favourites here.
Former Buzzcock Howard Devoto released several albums with his post-punk outfit Magazine, this is the first and the only one I'm familiar with. The single 'Shot By Both Sides' is a classic of the era, with its instantly recognisable guitar riff. Devoto's vocals have mix of anger and self-righteousness typical of original punks, it's a great album still sounding good decades later.
Probably their best album, The Faces laid-back style of blues rock is as comfortable as an old pair of slippers. I believe their vocalist did alright for himself after this.
I went to see them once, in Cardiff Uni, when they had that hit single, not a bad show but that was the beginning and end of my interest to be honest. This album is OK but a bit dull.
Debut album from a band I probably should have taken more notice of over the years. Energetic post-punk songs with an undercurrent of screeching, whistling, howling keyboards that wouldn't sound out of place on a Hawkwind album. I enjoyed it.
I used to own this CD but it's long since been traded in, nevertheless a good quality rock album with elements of metal and funk. Fairly typical of its era, sounds a bit dated now.
A new name to me and I was pleased to discover he's still alive. American folk in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, great folk guitar style, no embellishments, typical lyrical subject matter, quite an enjoyable listen.
Another Primal Scream album. Typical 90s house/dub/whatever. I guess they were one of the pioneers of the genre. a host of influences; psychedelia, reggae, punk, jazz, disco, gospel. Works quite well in this genre, but not appealing to me really. Two Primal Scream albums in a week, but I suppose that proves this is a random generator. Anyway, there are no more in the book so I should be safe now. ;0). Update, I stuck it out for 9 of the 11 tracks before I got bored off my tits
Absolutely one of the greatest pieces of music ever put to record. Groundbreaking, genre-defining, boundary smashing prog rock. After a short preamble that opening riff kicks in and the world is changed forever. I've got four different mixes of this album amidst a huge KC collection. Today you've given me an excuse to play all four. Apologies for the sycophantic riffing, carry on with your day. ;0)
Undoubtedly one of Eric's finest musical hours. A brilliant collaboration of musicians with some fantastic work from Duane Allman, some real Clapton classics on here, amazing musicianship and songwriting. There are numerous reissues of the album of course, including a massive box set with 7 CDs, a DVD and a double vinyl, if you can find one (and afford it). I've got the 2CD 2011 edition and that will do me nicely for this morning.
Beautiful debut album from the Velvets. It's abrasive and angry, its subject matter of drug culture and overt sexuality are deliberately provocative, it's an anti-culture classic. My favourite tracks are Venus In Furs and I'm Waiting For The Man. Fantastic album, with more classics yet to come from this band.
Classic American punk band that I have largely ignored until now. This was their break-up album but I'm quite enjoying it so far. Well-crafted songwriting, by this time their sound had matured and was less abrasive than their earlier material, whether or not that's a good thing is up to the listener I guess.
Entirely new to me and I can only find about half of the album on YouTube, but enough to give me a good flavour. Beautiful laid back Bossa Nova album, lovely way to start a Saturday morning.
Cool and funky, mellow soul from the People Get Ready guy. Not too shabby a start to a Sunday morning.
Prince , of course, was a phenomenal musician and songwriter, taking elements of rock, funk and disco and blending them together into his own thing. I love to watch him play guitar, because when he wanted to rock out he pulls all the stops. This is one of his best known albums and it still stands up well over 40 years later. Sadly Prince was one of the 2016 gang, passing over too soon.
I've never had any time for The Smiths and Morrisey is such a pompous arse that I'm not holding out much hope for this, but I'm giving it a go anyway. After listening, not entirely as terrible as I was expecting, but chances of a visit are minimal.
I don't know anything about the Triffids, other than what I just read on Wikipedia. Laid back alternative rock, pleasant enough but pretty dull. Gave up after six tracks
Very interesting album, this is why I joined the project, there's no way I would have listened to an album like this on any other day, but it's fascinating world music. the hypnotic rhythmic patterns and call and response vocals are quite captivating.
I've often wondered what this band sounds like.... edgy American punk with great driving bass riffs, the band are supremely tight and crisp, not full-on hardcore, rather this takes influences from hard rock and reggae, a little subtlety, but not too much.
Bangin' '90s Acid House is a bit much for my tender ears first thing on a Saturday morning to be honest, but I've got it on quietly in the background and it's pleasant enough.
I bought this album in '79, in the original fold-out sleeve, I bet that would be worth a fortune now, if I still had it! Great to hear it again after all these years. A more mature sound than his previous albums, some great singles.
Awful. Like being continually slapped across the face with a plastic spatula. I put up with it for three tracks and was losing the will to live.
New name to me: Australian grungy alternative band, heavily influenced by Nirvana and with a hint of old school punk. Choppy and frenetic guitar riffs abound. Not bad.
I've never really listened to this band, despite their reputation. So this is interesting, Deeply introspective and mournful songs. Cave's son had died a few years before the release and his grief comes across through the album. Certainly worth a listen.
Hugely successful, Mercury Prize winning album.... apparently.... I'm giving it a go but finding it pretty dull to be honest. The autoharp is nice though.
I Like Neil's work a lot, although I've only got a handful of his albums. Not heard this one before but I'm enjoying it. it has a raw, unpolished feel that gives it some authenticity. I've ordered the CD for my collection
What a stellar album! Bowie's first studio album for about a decade and for me his best since Scary Monsters. Great musicians all across this album including Tony Levin, Gail Ann Dorsey, David Torn, Earl Slick and many more. Five stars all day long.
Great soul singer, Solomon Burke probably deserved more recognition and success than he got. Just been reading about his life, 4 marriages, 21 kids, it seems he lived his life to the full!
Talented guy, multi-instrumentalist, the Prince influence is blaring out there, but on the whole this is not for me thanks, I gave it a few tracks, and gave up.
Absolutely beautiful album. Buckley uses his extensive vocal reach to its full potential and he has the ability to stretch out those vocals almost endlessly, rising and falling like a stormy tide. He wrote beautifully turbulent love songs and the arrangements and musicianship build on the tension of the lyrics. The covers of Lilac Wine and Hallelujah are spectacular, I prefer Jeff's version of Hallelujah to Leonard's (sorry Leonard). 5 stars all day long.
The first time I heard the title track of this album, when I was a teenager, I was absolutely stunned by its sheer brilliance, a true epic of psychedelia. Side 1 of the album is a little more twee, delving into flower-power a bit too much, but still a classic album I wouldn't be without.
Fine album, one of their best in my view. I prefer the UK cover art.
and so I find myself listening to Radiohead once again, trying to find something interesting about it, and failing. Sure, it's musically and technically competent and well produced, but I just don't find any inspiration in the band. Lots of Radiohead fans in the Prog Rock community, but not me. Widely cited as one of the greatest albums of contemporary times, I did buy it but it went to the chazza a while back. Enigmatic and inspiring, or pretentious and flat? Your choice.
I don't know much about this band but I think I might have seen them opening for Living Colour in Bristol in the 90s. Punk rock with elements of metal, reggae and funk. I wasn't holding out a lot of hope for this when it came up this morning, but it's not bad to be honest
Another new name to me, trippy acid jazz, lots of vocal samples and endlessly repeated loops, it's not bad, I'm giving it a go, but probably not for me really. I listened to about half of it in the end.
Peak era Rush. The opening epic saga is one of their greatest achievements, this is the one where they really found their form. I;ve often said I prefer '70s rush to later albums, this, along with the next two albums, is exactly why. Side 2 is a near perfect collection of their short form songwriting, especially A Passage To Bangkok and Something For Nothing, both of which were live standards for the next few decades.
A melancholy, acoustic album of break-up songs, a change of direction for Beck at the time, or so it seems, I don't know because I've never really listened to him. Anyway it's a pleasant enough listen.
..... "Judas!".... One acoustic set, well received, one electric set... not so much. Apparently this album is actually from the infamous Manchester Free trade Hall. Interesting to listen back and see how it was received
Classic and essential fusion album. Four drop-dead bangers on this album, not a duff phrase to be heard anywhere. That riff that runs through Chameleon just gets in your head, I won't be able to unheard it all day now!
It's a classic isn't it? Well, yeah I guess so, it's just that Todd Rundgren has largely passed me by over the last fifty odd years. I've listened to it a few times in the past, and it is very good, it just doesn't quite grab me in the way it's probably supposed to. having another listen this morning anyway.
A beautiful album, perfectly mixes experimental music with a dash of commerciality to give it mass appeal. Eno's last one with the band. Ferry's melancholic vocal delivery, coupled with some properly creepy lyrics make this a compelling listen. In Every Dream Home A Heartache is my favourite RM track. Do The Strand failed to dent the charts at the time but has since become one of their most recognised tracks. The eeriness continues through The Bogus Man and the closing title track. Essential album in any collection
Iconic band of course, I only ever owned All Mod Cons back in the day so it's good to hear this today, Two great singles, Start and That's Entertainment, but there's a lot of other cracking material to explore here too.
Never listened to them before, the sound is melancholic and multi-layered, quite enjoyable on the whole. M62 song is adapted from King Crimson's Moonchild, so probably the most interesting track on the album for me.
This is a great discovery. Smith's soloing at the Hammond is effortlessly beautiful, smooth and cool, like a summer cocktail, a sublime jazz quartet with Stanley Turrentine: sax, Kenny Burrell: guitar and Donald Bailey: drums.
I've always enjoyed listening to the odd Foo Fighters song when it comes on the radio, but not so much that I've wanted to buy their albums. This first album is all Dave Grohl, before the band. It's good, post-grunge rock, but I still don't want to buy the albums.
never heard this band before. Melancholic lo-fi country tunes, it's pleasant enough in a miserable sort of way. After a few tracks though, it just gets a bit too whiney, like a drunken relative at a wedding reception. You want to get away from them, but you can't...
Energetic American punk, another band I never heard of, which is kind of the point of this, pretty good though, short and snappy, no frills.
Roots in nu-metal I guess, I've heard of this band but never listened. This is pretty good, got some good grooves and more subtlety than a lot of their contemporaries, elements of funk and hip hop. not too onerous a listen
I've only got a couple of his albums, but this is my favourite, an exploration of performance in the studio without any real boundaries placed on the musicians, a blend of jazz, folk and expressive poetry, beautiful.
I'm surprised I've never heard this band before. folky psychedelia out of 60s San Francisco. Ethereal storytelling in the lyrics, simple acoustic arrangements with a little supporting orchestration, quite a pleasant listen.
Renowned as a classic groundbreaking album, well, yeah, I guess. Haven't heard it for ages, having lost my copy, but enjoying a nostalgic revisit today. Might rebuy it.
I mean.... come on...... it's not for me is it! I had a quick spin through a couple of tracks, shan't be back. I did have a quick listen to the track Outré Risqué Locomotive, in case it was about a steam train 🤣
Fever Ray: Fever Ray: Swedish ambient electronica, subtle and unobtrusive, quite pleasant. Could appeal to Eno fans.
The start of a great career, this understated, grass-roots album introduced the world (or a very small part of it) to this genius folk guitarist. Includes the chilling 'Needle Of Death'.
Much more commercial than his first four self-titled albums, nevertheless So remains a classic. Gabriel's typical blend of musical influences from around the globe and the production of Daniel Lanois combine to create an artistic yet accessible album with a wide appeal. Some huge singles on this album, but I think my favourite track is probably Mercy Street
Classic album from the iconic Lou Reed. From the opening Vicious, through the classics Perfect Day, Walk On The Wild Side, Satellite Of Love. great production from Bowie and Ronson, a milestone of the genre.
